Do your children’s Monday morning moods seem
to last till Friday morning? Well, you are not alone. The glazed over
eyes, known as the “look,” and unemotional tone is not because your
children are lazy. They are just tired. Early school times and lack of
sleep cause children to be pretty grumpy in the morning.

Lack of sleep also makes children less interested in eating
breakfast, which is said to be the most important meal of the day.
Children would rather get a few extra minutes of sleep instead of waking
up early to eat breakfast. The Scholastic website
tells parents children need fuel for their brain, and that fuel is
food. Food provides the energy necessary to have a productive day.
Scholastic also provides a helpful list of breakfast foods to start your
child’s day.

Help your children out by buying breakfast food they can eat on the
go, or have something waiting for them when they come to the kitchen.
Instead of giving them a bowl of cereal filled with sugar, try giving
them a healthier option. Some quick, healthy breakfast options are
yogurt with fresh fruit and wheat germ
(a healthy substitute for granola), a whole-wheat bagel with peanut
butter, or a bowl of oatmeal and a glass of fat-free skim milk.

Sleep for Kids,
a service of the National Sleep Foundation, says children need 10-11
hours of sleep every night. The website also gives a good list of tips
to help students get a healthy amount of sleep, such as removing TVs and
computers from their bedrooms. Games, movies, and TV shows are
addictive. When these items are not monitored, children may waste hours
of much needed sleep on technology. LDA of Michigan
did an interesting study on the effects of children watching TV before
bed. The study proved that kids are more likely to stay up late when
they have a television or video console in their bedroom. Help remove
the distractions, so your children will get a good night’s rest.

Mornings may not be the best time to have a deep conversation with
your children because they are not fully awake, so don’t make matters
worse by trying to force conversations on major topics and lots of
questions. Dinner time and later in the evening is a better time for
deep conversation.

Support your children’s education by teaching them time management.
Give them set times to watch TV and play video games, or make sure all
their homework is done before they spend time on these activities.

Your children’s education is very important-especially at a young
age, so help them perform at their full potential. A simple good night’s
rest, and a full belly in the morning will truly affect how a child
performs in school.